The Election Commission (EC) has taken flak after all six of its members flew abroad over the Songkran holiday using taxpayers’ money to conduct inspection visits.
Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, a former election commissioner and an MP candidate for the Seri Ruam Thai Party, said yesterday that EC members travelling overseas during the Songkran festival was an inappropriate use of the public’s money.
Mr Somchai also queried whether they had visited the countries that seemed to have experienced the most problems during the last election or those with the biggest population of Thai residents.
Regardless, he said the timing of the move was improper as the general election has not yet got underway.
If they just wanted to attend any meetings to learn about any problems being faced overseas, they could hold video conference calls, he added.
Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, said he would petition the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Wednesday at 10am over what he described as the EC’s negligence of duty.
Mr Srisuwan said the EC’s explanation for the trip did not justify sending all of its members to other countries. Each member chose one or two of the following destinations: Hungary, Slovakia, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, New Zealand and Australia.
Mr Srisuwan said they must stay there to supervise and resolve various problems related to the election, such as whether to extend the deadline for advance voting as well as to review Pheu Thai’s digital wallet policy.
However, he claimed their trips might represent a severe breach of the Code of Conduct.
The Office of the EC issued a statement yesterday claiming the trips are part of its duty to monitor the voting system. The information will be useful for adjusting the process or amending any regulations in the future, it said.
It said the Office of EC consulted with the Foreign Ministry and received a written invitation from the Thai embassy or consulate in each respective country to make the official visit.
The trips were set for between April 4 and April 24 so as not to overlap with their working days. Each commissioner is accompanied by 4-5 officials.
While abroad, the EC is still performing its duties, such as holding online meetings to respond to urgent issues, it said.
Commenting on calls to extend the deadline for advance voter registration after the system crashed on Sunday night, the EC said it recorded every registration from 9pm to midnight. As such, the EC believes no extension is necessary.
Regarding Pheu Thai’s proposed digital wallet plan, the EC is investigating the policy, it said.